Sewing-machine lighting unit



Dec. 2, 1930. c. PACKER 1,733,544

SEWING MACHINE LIGHTING UNIT Filed Max ch 12, 1929 f INVENTOR 3 Lew/s Q f ac/(far.

35 r TO NEY Patented Dec. 2, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LEWIS C. PACKER, OF LONG MEADOW, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC & MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA SEWING-MACHINE LIG UTING UNIT Application flled March 12, 1929. Serial No. 346,470;

. My invention relates to lighting units and has particular relation to lighting attachments for sewing machines.

An object of my invention is to provide a lighting attachment which shall be simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture and of maximum utility lighting attachment is' mounted within the vertical standard,

Fig. 4; is a sectional view of the sewing machine shown in Fig.1, taken on the line IIII and showing another modification of my lighting attachment, and

Another object of my invention is-to provide a lighting attachmentsuitable for drop head or portable machines which shall occupy a minimum amount of space, and be inconspicuous and out of the way of the operator. I Another object of my invention is to provide a lighting attachment which, when in working position on a sewing machine, will not interfere with, and need not be shifted or manipulated by the operator to permit, the dropping of the sewing-machine head within the cavity of the usual drop-head stand or with the placing of the cover of a portable carrying case over the sewing head.

Another object of myinvention is to provide a lighting attachment which may be securely fastened to the machine, which will not vibrate while the machine isrunning and in which the-wiring is hidden from view and protected from mechanical injury.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a lighting attachment-from which the I light will be directed upon the work, and will not strike the eyes of the observer, either directly or by reflection from the smace of the work or the table. ,This result is secured without casting objectionable shadows of machine parts on the work.

In practicing my invention, I rovide. a

' suitable recess in the goose neck 0 the sewing machine, either within its horizontal or its vertical portion. The lighting unit is secured by clamps in such manner that it may be readily removed.

In the accompanying drawing;

Fig 5 is a view, in side elevation, of the lighting unit shown in Fig; 4.

In the accompanying drawings showing various embodiments of my invention, a sewing-machine head of usual construction is illustrated as mounted upon a base 1, which maybe of either the portable or the.drophead type. 'The sewing-machine frame includes a fiat bed 2 from which rises a hollow bracket arm or goose neck including a standard 3, a horizontal memberfl and a sewing head 5 in which are slidably mounted theu'sual presser bar 6 and reciprocating needle bar 7 carrying, respectively, a presser' foot 8 and a needle 9. The needle 9 cooperates with the usual feed dog, to feed the work and with the loop'taker which is mounted below the bed 1 to form stitches (neither of these parts being shown).

The mechanism in the sewing-machine head is driven by means of the drive shaft 11 which may be rotated either by means of a hand wheel 12 or by a pulley 13, in the usual manner. Machines of this type are usually driven by a suitable motor which Figure 1 is a side elevational view of'a" sewing machine rovided with a lightin attachment which is indicated by broken lines.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line IIII of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of a sewing machine showing a modification in which the "has been omitted from the illustration since it' forms no part of the present invention except as the utilization of a motor provides a suitable source of electrical energy for operating a'lighting unit, and the\com 1ections for the lighting unit maybe so arranged as to take advantage of the location of the driving motor. The sewing machine may, of course, be supported and driven in any desired manner as, for instance, by motors or by means of the usual foot-pedal devices known to the art. v

In the embodiment of my invention illustrated in Fig. 1,]an opening 21 isprovided inthe horizontal portion of the under side of the goose neck to receive a lighting unitcomprising a socket 22, a shade 23 of the usual semi-cylindrical construction and a lamp 2 1. The lamp 24 may be of any suitedge portions of the reflector yieldinglg able shape but, preferably, is of the tubular type shown, since it occupies a minimum amount of space in a vertical direction, thereby allowing sufiicient clearance between the lightin unit and the shaft 11 of the machine.

The, ighting unit may be held in place by means of a clip or clamp 25 which encircles the narrow part 26 of the socket. The free ends of the clip are arranged to overlap each other so that the shorter portion 27 of the clip maybe secured to the longer portion 28 by means of a screw 29, whereby the clip may be securely clamped to the socket. When disposed in the goose neck, the lighting unit and screw 29 are disposed in such manner that the screw 29 may be loosened and the reflector rotated to any desired position. The longer portion 28 of the clip is bent to conform to .the outside surface of the goose neck and is drilled in order that it may be secured to the goose neck by means of screws 30.

In a modification of my device, shown in Fig. 4, the semi-cylindrical or U-shaped reflector 31 is made of resilient material and is provided with-raised portions 32, such that, when the reflector and the lamp are inserted in the recess of the goose neck, the raised enage the edges of the opening -to hol the 1g ting unit securely in place. The unit may be readily inserted and withdrawn and may be tilted from side to side according to whether it is or is not fully inserted. In all the embodiments shown, the push button or switch 33 of the socket is so positioned that the switch may be readily operated from outside the machine.

In the embodiment of my invention shown in Fig. 3, a recess 34 is provided in the vertical portion or standard 3 of the oose neck by removing a portion of the wa thereof, and the li hting unit is dis osed within the recess. T e unit may be sposed with the socket above or below the lamp and may be secured in place by means of the clip or special reflector hereinbefore shown and ,de-

scribed or in any other suitable manner.

The clamp or special reflector is arranged to grip the lamp fixture at a position substantially midway of its length, thereby avoidin obf'lectionable vibration of the lamp. Since t e 'ghting attachment is disposed within the goose neck, it is out of the way of the o erator and does not interfere with the mampulation of the work or the machine. The lighting attachments of the prior art have detracted from the appearance of the sewing machine unit because of the clamps and fixtures utilized in fastening the lighting unit and the cord to the machine, as well as the appearance of the lighting unit itself.

My invention obviates these objections by.

locating the lighting unit and wirin inside the goose neck. g

Hitherto, the problem of wiring the fixture has offered difliculty since the lamp cord must usually be disposed on the outside of the oose neck and must be passed through the ase by providingopenings therein. In my device, the lighting unit and cord are hidden from view and the cord may readilybe connected to a suppl circuit introduced beneath the machine. he li ht is directed across the work or downwar on the, work without direct'glare into the eyes of the op erator and without reflecting light from the work or the polished surfaces of the machine. Advantage is taken of the bracket arm as a shade to effectively shield the eyes of the operator from the glare of the lamp while chine parts carried by, or forming a part of,

the goose neck or sewing head.

Further, the device is permanently lo cated within the goose neck itself, whereby the device does not interfere with, or need not be shifted to permit, the droppin of the head within the cavity of the usua drophead cabinet or with the placing of a cover or a carrying case over the head..

Although I have described'certain embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention, as set forth in the appended-claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination with a hollow sewingmachine goose neck having an opening in the inner wall thereof, of a lighting unit located entirely within the said opening.

2. In combination with a hollow sewingmachine goose neck having'an opening in the inner wall thereof,-of a. lighting unit located in said opening and means for supporting said lighting unit from the outside of the goose neck.

. 3.I'n combination with a hollow sewingmachine goose neck having an opening in the inner wall thereof, of a lightin unit comprising a lamp socket, a lamp an a reflector, located wholly within said opening, and means for supporting the lighting unlt in the o ning, said means permitting rotatable adJuStment of the reflector.

4. In combination with a hollow sewingmachine goose neck having an opening in the inner wall thereof, of a lighting unit located wholly within said opening, and means for supporting the lighting unit therein.

5. In combination with a hollow sewingmachine goose neck having an opening 1n the inner wall thereof, of a lightin unit comprising a lamp socket, a lamp an a reflector, located in said opening, and means for supporting the lighting unitin the opening, said supporting means being adjustable from the exterior of the goose neck to permit rotatable adjustment of the reflector.

6. In combination with a hollow sewingmachine goose neck having an opening in the inner wall thereof, of an incandescent lamp in said opening, and a reflector for said lamp, the edge portions thereof yieldingly engaging the edges of the wall opening-t0 hold the lamp therein.

7. In combination with a hollow sewingmachine goose neck having an opening in the inner wall thereof, of a lighting unit comprising a lamp, a. socket therefor and a reflector located in said opening and adjustably held therein by the reflector.

8. In combination with a hollow sewingmachine goose neck having an opening in the inner wall thereof, of a lighting unit comprising a lamp, a socket therefor and a reflector located in said opening and adjustably held therein b operative engagement of edge portions '0 the reflector with the edges of the wall at the ope n testimony whereof, I have ereunto sub-, scribed my name this seventh day of March,

LEWIS c, PAcnER. 

